1 . أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الطَّالَقَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ الْهَاشِمِيَّ الْخُرَاسَانِيَّ يَقُولُ: لَا تُعِينُوا الْحُكَّامَ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ إِذْ يَخْتَصِمُونَ، فَإِنَّكُمْ لَا تَدْرُونَ أَيُّهُمْ أَكْثَرُ لَكُمْ نَفْعًا وَإِلَى مَا يَصِيرُ أَمْرُهُمْ، وَلَا تَتَعَصَّبُوا لِأَحَدِهِمْ تَعَصُّبَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ، تَقُولُوا: هُوَ مِنْ قَوْمِي وَمَذْهَبِي، فَإِنَّ الظَّالِمَ لَا قَوْمَ لَهُ وَلَا مَذْهَبَ، وَلَا تَخْرُجُوا عَلَى أَحَدِهِمْ حَتَّى يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَهْدِيِّ سَبِيلًا.
Translation of the saying:
Ahmad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Taloqani informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani say: “Do not help some rulers against some others when they fight each other, for you do not know which of them will be of more benefit to you and what their fate will be, and do not fanatically take sides with one of them, the fanaticism of the time of ignorance, saying: ‘He is one my people and my sect’; because an oppressor has neither a people nor a sect, and do not rise against any of them until God sets a way for you toward the Mahdi.”
Explanation of the saying:
His words: “an oppressor has neither a people nor a sect,” means that an oppressor does not care about his people or his sect and only seeks wealth and power, even if he has to sacrifice his people and sect, or it means that an oppressor has neither a people nor a sect that will save him from the humiliation of the world and the punishment of the Hereafter; as God Almighty has said: ﴿وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنْصَارٍ﴾[1]; “And oppressors have no helpers,” or it means that an oppressor destroys his people and sect, even if he loves them; as God Almighty has said: ﴿يَقْدُمُ قَوْمَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَأَوْرَدَهُمُ النَّارَ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْوِرْدُ الْمَوْرُودُ﴾[2]; “He will go ahead of his people on the Day of Judgment, so he will lead them into the fire, which is an evil place to be led into,” and said: ﴿أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ كُفْرًا وَأَحَلُّوا قَوْمَهُمْ دَارَ الْبَوَارِ﴾[3]; “Have you not seen those who changed God’s blessing with ingratitude and brought their people into the abode of ruin?” and said: ﴿الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَهُمْ لَهْوًا وَلَعِبًا وَغَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا﴾[4]; “Those who took their religion as mere amusement and play and were deceived by the life of the world.”
2 . أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الشِّيرَازِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: إِذَا رَأَيْتُمْ جَبَّارَيْنِ يَقْتَتِلَانِ بِرَمْلٍ فَذَرُوهُمَا يَحْثُو أَحَدُهُمَا عَلَى الْآخَرِ حَتَّى يَهْلِكَ الْأَعْجَزُ! قُلْتُ: أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانَ أَحَدُهُمَا مِنَ الشِّيعَةِ وَالْآخَرُ مِنَ السُّنَّةِ؟ قَالَ: ذَرُوهُمَا، قُلْتُ: أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانَ أَحَدُهُمَا مُسْلِمًا وَالْآخَرُ يَهُودِيًّا؟ قَالَ: إِذَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ فَأَعِينُوا الْمُسْلِمَ، لِكَيْ لَا يَغْلِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَهُودِيُّ فَيَسُبَّ نَبِيَّكُمْ، وَيُحْرِقَ كِتَابَكُمْ، وَيَهْدِمَ مَسَاجِدَكُمْ.
Translation of the saying:
Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Shirazi informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: “Whenever you see two tyrants fighting on sand, leave them to throw (sand) at each other until the weaker one perishes! (i.e., do not interfere.)” I said: “What do you say if one of them is a Shia and the other a Sunni?” He said: “Leave them.” I said: “What do you say if one of them is a Muslim and the other a Jew?” He said: “If so, then help the Muslim so that the Jew will not gain power over you to revile your Prophet, burn your Book, and destroy your mosques.”
Explanation of the saying:
It is hereby understood that it is not permissible to help a Muslim oppressor against another Muslim oppressor, whether he is a Shia or a Sunni, and whether he is the ruler of the country in which the person lives or the ruler of another country, and it is only permissible to help a Muslim oppressor against a disbeliever if he attacks the Muslim oppressor to gain power over Muslims and the Muslim oppressor does not have enough strength to ward him off; because of the words of God Almighty that has said: ﴿وَلَنْ يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَبِيلًا﴾[5]; “God has never set a way for disbelievers against believers.”